Silkwood, Queensland

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Town in Queensland, Australia

Silkwood
Queensland

National Australia Bank building, Silkwood, 2008

Silkwood

Coordinates| 17°44′45″S 146°01′15″E﻿ / ﻿17.7458°S 146.0208°E﻿ / -17.7458; 146.0208﻿ (Silkwood (town centre))
Population| 407 (2021 census)[1]
• Density| 17.85/km2 (46.23/sq mi)
Postcode(s)| 4856
Area| 22.8 km2 (8.8 sq mi)
Time zone| AEST (UTC+10:00)
Location|

* 26.1 km (16 mi) NNE of Tully
* 29.1 km (18 mi) S of Innsifail
* 116 km (72 mi) S of Cairns
* 232 km (144 mi) NNW of Townsville
* 1,582 km (983 mi) NNW of Brisbane

LGA(s)| Cassowary Coast Region
State electorate(s)| Hill
Federal division(s)| Kennedy
| Localities around Silkwood:

No 5 Branch | Goolboo | McCutcheon
Walter Lever Estate | Silkwood | Kurrimine Beach
No 4 Branch | Jaffa | Daveson

Silkwood is a rural town and locality in the Cassowary Coast Region, Queensland, Australia.[2][3] In the 2021 census, the locality of Silkwood had a population of 407 people.[1]

## Geography

[edit]

Silkwood is situated on the Bruce Highway roughly halfway between Tully and Innisfail.[4]

The locality is flat land about 10 metres above sea level and is predominantly freehold land used for farming, particularly the cultivation of sugarcane. The north-western border of the locality is Liverpool Creek, which flows eastward to the Coral Sea. The town is roughly central in the locality with the Bruce Highway passing from south to north just east of the town, while the North Coast railway line also passes from south to north through the town, which is serviced by the Silkwood railway station.[5][6]

## History

[edit]

Early school building, Silkwood State School

The town takes its name from the name of the house of A. J. Daveson, and refers to a local timber.[2]

Silkwood, circa 1930

Silkwood State School opened on 28 August 1916 with 11 students under head teacher Miss Hannah Hogan.[7] By December 1916, there were 24 students. On 10 March 1918, many buildings in the town including the school were destroyed in a cyclone. Classes resumed on 16 September 1918 in a private home taught by Mr Kreuger. The rebuilding of the school was delayed by disagrements over rebuilding on the same site or moving to a new site. On 30 August 1920, a new school building was opened at the new location, but it was already too small as the school now had 66 students and additions to the building were immediately needed but were not completed until 4 July 1923. A teacher's residence was built in 1924. As student numbers continued to grow, a new school building on a new site was being considered in 1946, but the opening of a local Catholic primary school reduced the student numbers in the state school and the new building was no longer needed. In the 1970s, a new school building was constructed with the addition of a pre-school.[8][9]

Silkwood was the site of significant Italian immigration in the 1940s.[10]

Catholic church in Silkwood, 1950

On Sunday 15 December 1940, Roman Catholic Bishop of Cairns, John Heavey, laid the foundation stone for a church to be dedicated to St John the Evangelist.[11] He returned on Sunday 3 August 1941 to perform the blessing and opening of the Gothic-style church.[12] The early priests at the church were Scalabrinians, followed by Augustinian priests. The Silkwood parish was established in 1946.[13]

St John's Catholic School was founded by the parish priest Father Alfred Natali and the Missionary Franciscan Sisters. It opened on 2 February 1948 with students mostly from Italian families who worked in the local sugarcane industry. The Sisters left the school in 1987, being replaced by lay teachers.[7][14]

## Demographics

[edit]

In the 2016 census, the locality of Silkwood had a population of 391 people.[15]

In the 2021 census, the locality of Silkwood had a population of 407 people.[1]

## Education

[edit]

Silkwood State School, 2022

Silkwood State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at Japoon Road (17°44′11″S 146°00′03″E﻿ / ﻿17.7364°S 146.0007°E﻿ / -17.7364; 146.0007﻿ (Silkwood State School)).[16][17][18] In 2015, the school had an enrolment of 60 students with 7 teachers (4 full-time equivalent) and 6 non-teaching staff (4 full-time equivalent) with the students divided into 3 classes, years P-2, 3-4, and 5-6.[19] In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 62 students with 6 teachers (4 full-time equivalent) and 7 non-teaching staff (4 full-time equivalent).[20]

St John's School is a Catholic primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at Harold Street (17°44′14″S 146°00′18″E﻿ / ﻿17.7372°S 146.0051°E﻿ / -17.7372; 146.0051﻿ (St John's Catholic School)).[16] It is operated by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cairns.[21] In 2016, the school had 64 students with 8 teachers (7 full-time equivalent) and 8 non-teaching staff (3 full-time equivalent).[22] In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 67 students with 9 teachers (7 full-time equivalent) and 8 non-teaching staff (4 full-time equivalent).[20]

The nearest government secondary schools are Tully State High School in Tully to the south-west and Innisfail State College in Innisfail Estate to the north.[5]

## Amenities

[edit]

The Silkwood branch of the Queensland Country Women's Association meets at 9 Silkwood Jappon Road (17°44′45″S 146°01′10″E﻿ / ﻿17.74577°S 146.01937°E﻿ / -17.74577; 146.01937﻿ (Silkwood Country Women's Association)).[23][24]

St John the Evangelist Catholic Church is in Harold Street (17°44′15″S 146°00′19″E﻿ / ﻿17.73757°S 146.00536°E﻿ / -17.73757; 146.00536﻿ (St John the Evangelist Catholic Church)). It is within the Silkwood Parish of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cairns.[13]

The Silkwood Lawn Bowls Club is at 185 Silkwood Japoon Road (17°44′29″S 146°00′46″E﻿ / ﻿17.74139°S 146.01280°E﻿ / -17.74139; 146.01280﻿ (Silkwood Bowls Club)).[25][26]

The Silkwood Clay Target Club is on Silkwood Japoon Road (17°44′51″S 146°01′33″E﻿ / ﻿17.7476°S 146.0258°E﻿ / -17.7476; 146.0258﻿ (Silkwood Clay Target Club)).[27][28]

## Facilities

[edit]

Silkwood has the following emergency services:

* Silkwood Police Station, 1A Silkwood Japoon Road (17°44′48″S 146°01′19″E﻿ / ﻿17.7466°S 146.0220°E﻿ / -17.7466; 146.0220﻿ (Silkwood Police Station))[29][30][31]

* Silkwood SES Facility, Margaret Street (17°44′44″S 146°01′27″E﻿ / ﻿17.7456°S 146.0243°E﻿ / -17.7456; 146.0243﻿ (Silkwood SES Facility))[30]

* Silkwood Ambulance Station, 187 Silkwood Japoon Road (17°44′28″S 146°00′44″E﻿ / ﻿17.7411°S 146.0123°E﻿ / -17.7411; 146.0123﻿ (Silkwood Ambulance Station))[30][32]

## Attractions

[edit]

Silkwood Castle, 2008

Silkwood Castle is at 18 Margaret Street (17°44′45″S 146°01′26″E﻿ / ﻿17.74591°S 146.02375°E﻿ / -17.74591; 146.02375﻿ (Silkwood Castle)). Engineer John Nielsen retired to Silkwood and, in 2009, commenced building himself a home. It was an imposing whitewashed concrete structure, intended to be something different, which has been described variously looking like a "Disney fairytale" and a "mosque". He worked on it for many years until his death.[33][34]

The former National Australia Bank building in Silkwood is claimed to be the smallest bank building in Australia.[35] It was opened in the 1930s and continued to trade until 1999. It is now a small museum.[36]

## Events

[edit]

Statue of the Three Saints in the church, Silkwood, 1951 Procession of the Three Saints through the streets of Silkwood, 1951

On the first Sunday of May, Silkwood celebrates the annual Feast of the Three Saints: St Alfio, St Filadelfo and St Cerino. In 1939, Silkwood resident Alfia Tornabene (née Patti) had just given birth to a daughter in Innisfail Hospital, becoming seriously ill. Her husband Rosario dreamt of the three saints who reassured him his wife would recover, leading Rosario to vow that he would bring statues of the saints from Sicily to Silkwood if his wife recovered. His wife recovered and in 1947-1948 he organised for an old artisan in Giarre, Sicily, to carve the statues from cherry trees near his family's farm in Sicily as recreations of the statues in the main church of Sant'Alfio in Sicily. The first celebration of the feast in Silkwood was in 1950. The festival typically consists of a Mass, a procession of the statues through the streets accompanied by bands, feasting, music, dancing and fireworks.[37][38][39][13]

On 4 May 2025, the community will celebrate the 75th anniversary of the annual festival.[40]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Silkwood (SAL)". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
2. ^ a b "Silkwood – town in Cassowary Coast Region (entry 30819)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
3. ^ "Silkwood – locality in Cassowary Coast Region (entry 45751)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
4. ^ "Place names search, Geoscience Australia, Place Name Search: Silkwood". Government of Australia. Geoscience Australia. Archived from the original on 26 January 2021. Retrieved 12 February 2014.
5. ^ a b "Queensland Globe". State of Queensland. Retrieved 6 May 2017.
6. ^ "Silkwood – railway station (entry 30820)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
7. ^ a b Queensland Family History Society (2010), Queensland schools past and present (Version 1.01 ed.), Queensland Family History Society, ISBN 978-1-921171-26-0
8. ^ "History". Silkwood State School. 22 April 2020. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
9. ^ McRobbie, Bill (1991). Ferguson, Jim (ed.). "Silkwood State School: The Beginning" (PDF). Silkwood State School. pp. 1–7\. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 July 2024. Retrieved 6 March 2025.1-7&rft.date=1991&rft.aulast=McRobbie&rft.aufirst=Bill&rft_id=https://silkwoodss.eq.edu.au/SupportAndResources/FormsAndDocuments/Documents/silkwood-history.pdf&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Silkwood,+Queensland" class="Z3988">
10. ^ Paganoni, Anthony (2007). The Pastoral Care of Italians in Australia. Ballarat, Victoria: Connor Court Publishing. p. 60.
11. ^ "New Catholic Church At Silkwood". Johnstone River Advocate And Innisfail News. No. 9\. Queensland, Australia. 18 December 1940. p. 2\. Archived from the original on 26 January 2021. Retrieved 7 May 2017 - via National Library of Australia.
12. ^ "NEW CATHOLIC CHURCH BLESSED AND OPENED AT SILKWOOD". The Evening Advocate. No. 166\. Queensland, Australia. 8 August 1941. p. 3\. Archived from the original on 26 January 2021. Retrieved 7 May 2017 - via National Library of Australia.
13. ^ a b c "Silkwood Parish". Roman Catholic Diocese of Cairns. Archived from the original on 18 November 2020. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
14. ^ "Our History". St John's School, Silkwood. Archived from the original on 18 February 2017. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
15. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Silkwood (SSC)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
16. ^ a b "State and non-state school details". Queensland Government. 9 July 2018. Archived from the original on 21 November 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
17. ^ "Silkwood State School". Archived from the original on 1 April 2020. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
18. ^ "Silkwood State School". Google Street View. October 2022. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
19. ^ "2015 School Annual Report" (PDF). Silkwood State School. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 February 2017. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
20. ^ a b "ACARA School Profile 2018". Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. Archived from the original on 27 August 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
21. ^ "St John's School". Archived from the original on 27 November 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
22. ^ "St John's School, Silkwood". Catholic Education Diocese of Cairns. Archived from the original on 10 April 2017. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
23. ^ "Branch Locations". Queensland Country Women's Association. Archived from the original on 26 December 2018. Retrieved 26 December 2018.
24. ^ "Silkwood Country Women's Association". Google Street View. October 2022. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
25. ^ "Silkwood Bowls Club". Facebook. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
26. ^ "Silkwood Bowls Club". Google Street View. October 2022. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
27. ^ "Silkwood Clay Target Club". Facebook. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
28. ^ "Silkwood Clay Target Club" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
29. ^ "Silkwood Station". Queensland Police. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
30. ^ a b c "Emergency services facilities - Queensland". Queensland Open Data. Queensland Government. 18 November 2020. Archived from the original on 24 November 2020. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
31. ^ "Silkwood Police Station". Google Street View. October 2022. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
32. ^ "Silkwood Ambulance Station". Google Street View. October 2022. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
33. ^ Carruthers, Peter (7 November 2022). "Everything you wanted to know about intriguing Silkwood Castle". Cairns Post. Archived from the original on 17 January 2023. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
34. ^ Hession, Pat (3 September 2009). "Silkwood's cement castle". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 16 January 2023. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
35. ^ "Things to Do". Silkwood, Far North Queensland. Archived from the original on 16 January 2023. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
36. ^ Matthews, Brett (15 July 2010), Australia's Smallest Bank Building, archived from the original on 17 January 2023, retrieved 16 January 2023
37. ^ "History of the Feast of the Three Saints". Feast of the Three Saints. Archived from the original on 10 March 2020. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
38. ^ "In pictures: The Feast of the Three Saints". ABC Far North Qld. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
39. ^ "Feast of the Three Saints - ABC Far North Qld - Australian Broadcasting Corporation". www.abc.net.au. Archived from the original on 25 March 2016. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
40. ^ "75th Anniversary". Three Saints FNQ. Archived from the original on 6 March 2025. Retrieved 6 March 2025.

## Further reading

[edit]

* Girola, Stefano; Giorgi, Piero P (2001). The Three Saints : faith history tradition from Sicily to Queensland /cStefano Girola; translated by Piero P. Giorgi. Minerva E & S. ISBN 978-0-9586291-2-6.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Silkwood, Queensland.

* Feast of the Three Saints
* Town plan, 1975

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